ACC Roundup - Shorthanded Shootout In Blacksburg

First of all, congratulations to Clemson for an incredibly riveting national championship win over Alabama. In order to truly be champions you need to beat the best and Alabama has clearly been the best. It’s a huge win for Clemson but also for the ACC. It’s also nice to see the SEC take it on the chin for a change.

Back to basketball: in the only ACC game Tuesday night (we don’t do Duke on ACC Roundup), Syracuse visits Virginia Tech. The Hokies were really shorthanded against Florida State and will be so again as Seth Allen is still in the concession protocol.

We’ve all gotten very used to that very quickly. It’s hard to believe it wasn’t always there.

On the other hand, Jim Boeheim is happy with a 6-7 man rotation lately, so numbers aren’t a big advantage for either team.

Over at the N&O Andrew Carter takes a look at the ACC so far and finds it a compelling but strange season. Dean Smith used to reckon that eventually everyone would finish at .500. Parity makes that nearly possible.

Notre Dame is right in there of course but it’s hard to rule anyone completely out other than Georgia Tech, BC and Wake - and all three have either registered a big win or shown significant potential.

In this week’s polls, Duke is #7/7, FSU is #9/10, UNC is #11/12, Louisville #14/15, Virginia #19/18 and Notre Dame #20/20.

The first is the Coaches Poll which we tend to see as more credible.

• Virginia gets a short break after ending two-game slide
• Virginia Tech could again be short-handed against Syracuse
• Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim's use of 5 different starting lineups is a rarity
• McFarling: UVa men's hoops team wins game the Cavs desperately needed
• Defending 3-point line will be crucial for Syracuse basketball at Virginia Tech
• What works for NC State’s Dennis Smith Jr. (and what doesn’t)
• ACC looks as good as ever - but still needs to prove it
• ACC report: Hokies, Orange short-handed for matchup